Imperfections
by Elle Woods Maybe
Summary: A family that hides their imperfections by lies and jealousy. Layla Serene will find out the truth.
1. Nice to meet you Layla

***The story is named Imperfections. It may be changed soon. Thanks.**

**Chapter One: "Nice to meet you, Layla"**

I stood quietly in the corner as I watched my "family" talk and greet each other. I sipped on my cocktail and played with my curly red hair. I looked around to make sure no one was staring at me considering I'm only seventeen and I'm drinking a cocktail.

I made eye contact with my old boyfriend, Joshua and looked quickly away. He was dating my cousin Melinda. I escaped the room into a quiet long hallway. I reached into my small handbag and pulled out my cell phone. I called my boyfriend, Wesley.

"Wes! Are you going to come anytime soon? I'm standing here with nothing to do!" I whispered angrily into the cell phone. Wesley was a half an hour late.

"I'm sorry. My mother was keeping me home. I'm on my way right now. Calm down." he said back into the cell phone. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay but, please hurry. This is like torture." I said into the cell phone.

"How is it torture? It's your family, Layla." he said back.

"You don't know my family Wes. They have secrets. They try to hide their imperfections and do better than everyone else." I revealed into the phone.

"Look, I'll be there soon." he said slowly.

"Bye.", I said, then I hit end and took a deep breath. I walked into the kitchen and gave my empty cocktail glass to a waiter that walked by. I found my younger sister leaning against the bar counter with her boyfriend Ethan. She was definitely underdressed for a Christmas Eve party, she has on a huge band tee that was cut so it revealed her shoulder, a short skirt, and high heel converse shoes that stopped at her knees, and to top it off she had on lace leggings underneath. I sighed and approached her.

"Sadie Serene, you are the most unpredictable person I've ever known. What's up with the outfit?" I asked looking at Ethan who was dressed in a white undershirt with a black jacket over it and dark jeans on.

"I don't like the whole green and red Christmas colors so I did my own thing. Grandma Louisa wanted to know where I got my shirt. She liked it.", Sadie joked downing a whiskey shot. I took the glass from her and told the bartender not to serve her anymore drinks since she was underage. I looked at her.

"Sadie you are too young to be drinking and you know that, you are only sixteen." I told her in my motherly voice.

"Don't talk too soon, you drink too." she debated. I sighed.

"Hardly, and only when I'm stressed." I sighed.

"That's not a good excuse… I'll stop when you stop." she smiled.

"I'm stopping right now and so are you." I smirked.

"Fine with me.", she said. I looked around for my mother.

"Where's mom?" I asked. Sadie shrugged.

"I think she was waiting on her date when I left." Sadie said playing with her curly dyed black hair. She had the whole punk rock chic fashion down.

"Okay. Well, I'll talk to you later okay? I'm going to go see if Wesley is here." I said walking towards the door.

"Bye.", Sadie said after me.

I walked out the huge front door and stood on the porch. I did not see Wesley but, I did find my mother, Flora standing next to her date.

"Hi mom." I said looking at her date then back at her. My mom looked gorgeous; she had straightened her red hair and had on a short black dress, and had on a smokey eye makeup.

"Layla, you look beautiful honey." she said hugging me tight, then she stepped back, "This is my date Ash."

"Hi, Ash. Nice to meet you." I said giving me a firm handshake.

"Nice to meet you as well Layla." he said pulling his sweaty hand away.

"Are you waiting on someone?" Flora asked.

"Wesley. He's super late." I sighed.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be here soon." she paused, "Why don't we go inside its cold out here."

"Okay", I sighed following her in. I was greeted by my older cousin Kelsey. Her straight platinum blonde hair was pulled into an up do and she was wearing a pretty red dress. She had a drink in hand, my guess a long island iced tea knowing Kelsey. She smiled and gave me a warm hug.

"Layla, how are you? I haven't talked to you in a long time." she said smiling.

"I know! I'm great how about you? How are you and Ricky?" I asked her. She frowned and looked around. She picked at a piece of invisible string on her dress.

"We're kind of… married." she said not making eye contact.

"What? Married? When did this happen?" I asked shocked.

"We eloped over the summer. Everyone here is ashamed of me though. No one will talk to me. My parent's didn't even say congrats or anything." she said frowning.

"Why? They should be happy if you are happy!" I said still shocked. She just shook her head.

"It doesn't work that way for them. He didn't go to Harvard and he doesn't have a mansion so he isn't worthy to be in this family. He didn't even come with me because he knew no one likes him. Now my sister Nellie is the family favorite. She has the perfect boyfriend, Brenden Evers. He's a junior at Harvard Law School and his family was born rich. The family loves him." she growled.

I looked over to see Nellie with her arm tight around Brenden's arm. Brenden was tall, and had a muscular, athletic body type. He had short brown hair, a flawless perfect face, warm brown eyes, light pink lips, and glowing white teeth. He was dressed in a comfy brown sweater and jeans; he had a mischievous look on his face and a curious smile. He was a dreamy guy in my own words. I drew my attention back to Kelsey before she became suspicious of what or who I was looking at.

"Nellie was always trying to steal the spotlight. You're eighteen, she's twenty three and she was probably upset about how everyone gave you more attention." I began, "I'm not trying to hurt your feelings Kelsey. Just keep your head high. I'm going to go see some more people, I will see you later okay?"

"Okay.", she sighed. I gave her another hug and then approached Nellie, Kelsey's sister. She had straight blonde hair that was flat and hung close to her face, her face barely had any makeup, and she wore a plain red dress with a black scarf hanging off her skinny arms. She did not look friendly.

"Hi, Nellie. I haven't seen you in a long time." I greeted her friendly. She had a small smile which looked more like a pucker you would give if you had tasted something sour.

"Nellie, who is this pretty young woman?" Brenden interjected smiling. Nellie looked at Brenden confused and then turned her gaze back to me not saying a word.

"I'm Layla. Nellie's cousin. And you are?"

"Hi. I'm Brenden. Nellie's date." he said flirtingly.

"Actually, he's my _boyfriend."_ Nellie snapped angrily.

"Oh.", I began acting confused, "Well, it's nice to meet you Brenden."

"You as well." he said, as he grabbed my hand and kissed it lightly. I pulled away and blushed. Nellie's jaw dropped and she just stared at him.

"Brenden! Don't do that to my cousin!" she said lightly hitting him with her small black handbag.

"I'm just being a gentleman." he explained.

"Well, I better go find _my date." I said, "It's nice to see you Nellie and nice to meet you Brenden."_

"Bye.", Nellie said flatly. 

"I'll see you later." Brenden said, his eyes meeting mine. I looked away and began towards the front door but a few feet away it opened.

_There was Wesley standing in a white undershirt, and a tuxedo looking jacket over it complimented with black pants. His hair was perfect and his smile melted my heart. He walked over to me and took my hand. He kissed my cheek, I looked over his shoulder to see Brenden staring angrily at Wesley and I. Almost as if he was…jealous._


	2. XO, Layla

"Hey Layla." Wesley breathed into my ear. I looked into his eyes and smiled at him. I kept my arms wrapped around his shoulders. After a brief moment of gazing into each other's eyes I finally dropped my arms. I grabbed his hand and led him into the living room, where my family was gathered on couches, some people sitting on the floor with their children. I sat down on a small comfy white love seat; Wesley cuddled next to me and wrapped his arm around me.

"So, how awful has this party been?" he whispered into my ear. I kept my eyes in front of me.

"It hasn't been _that _bad." I said smiling, "But, it is much better since you are here."

"Oh, I know." he said chuckling softly. My sister walked into the room with Ethan, they sat down in the corner couch on the opposite side of the living room, I saw my cousin Melinda roll her eyes and whispered something to Joshua. I pulled out my phone and texted Joshua:

Why don't you tell your girlfriend to stop talking about my sister, because I know plenty of things she has done that you don't want to know? XO, Layla.

I pressed send and looked back at Wesley who was staring at me in disbelief.

"What?" I asked worried. He just kept quiet and looked down at the phone in my lap.

"What was the text about?" He asked pointing towards my phone.

"Melinda is talking about my sister so, I texted Josh telling him to tell Melinda to stop." I said looking at him confused. Why was he acting like this?

"Why would you say that to him? It makes him think that she's keeping stuff from him. It could ruin their relationship, Layla. And that stupid XO thing you did at the end? What's up with that?" he asked me, his arms now crossed and he was not even near me. I just looked over at Joshua who was now showing Melinda the text and asking her questions and throwing his hands up in the air. I looked back at Wesley.

"Melinda ruined _my _relationship with him. It's time I get revenge." I said. Once those words left my mouth I wanted to take them back. I saw pain and confusion sweep over Wesley's face. He stood and just started to walk towards the door. I followed him outside and grabbed his arm.

"Wesley! What did I do to you?" I said, tears filling my eyes. He pulled away from my grip.

"You aren't over him. I know it and so do you. You don't even love me. You are a liar just like all your other relatives!" he said loudly. I could see tears starting to form in his eyes. He just shook his head and starting walking towards his car. He was half way down the sidewalk when I began crying.

"I don't love him." I cried softly, "I love you Wesley. I'm not a liar. I was sticking up for my sister. Melinda _hates _me. Do you know that Wesley? I wasn't getting revenge on her because she was with Josh. No, I was mad because she always steals everything from me. EVERYTHING! I'm surprised she hasn't stolen you yet." Wesley turned around but didn't move a muscle. I could see his face twitch a little this was probably because I was crying. We both hated to see each other cry.

"Maybe she stole him from you but now…" he paused, "You're not better than her."

"Whatever Wesley. You will never know how I feel. You don't love me either." I began wiping tears from my eyes; anger was now taking over, "Bye Wesley."

Before he could speak I darted back into the house. I turned into the hallway and stood their for minutes crying my eyes out. I kept walking down the hall until I reached my uncle's old bedroom which was now a guest bedroom. I shut the door behind me and sat down on the bed crying. I didn't know what to feel or what to do. I heard my phone ring inside my purse; I reached into my purse and pulled my cell phone out. It was Wesley. He was calling me. I ignored it.

I just threw my phone into the open closet door and laid down onto the bed. I stared at the white ceiling. I heard a light tap on the door. I quickly sat up and wiped the tears from my eyes. I could tell my eyes were red and puffy; I probably had mascara smudged down my cheeks.

"Who is it?" I quietly asked, my tears choking me. The door slightly opened and Brenden peeked his head inside.

"It's me. Can I talk to you?" he asked. I just looked down.

"Ummm… sure." I said. He walked in and shut the door. He sat down beside me and just looked at me. I could feel his eyes on me. I looked up and met his gaze.

"What is wrong Layla?" he asked. He slowly wiped a tear from my face. I just shook my head.

"I think my boyfriend just broke up with me.", I slowly cried. He just sighed.

"Well, then he is completely insane to break up with someone as pretty and nice as you." he complimented. He was fidgeting with his sweater, pulling pieces of fuzz off of it.

"How did you even know I was in here? Won't Nellie kill you for even talking to me?" I asked him. He chuckled and sighed heavily again.

"I saw you run back here and with my instincts I came to see if you needed anything. I told Nellie that I needed some freshening up.", he said smiling. I managed to show a slight smile. He reached over and took my hand. His hand was muscular and warm.

"Thanks. I'm okay though." I said pulling my hand away.

"You sure about that?" he asked.

"I don't even know." I said softly.

"Maybe I could help you out." he said, moving closer to my face until he was breathing in my ear. Before I knew it we were kissing. It wasn't a nice little kiss it was passionate and I didn't feel guilty. I felt happy. Wesley's kisses were nothing compared to this. Electricity ran through my body and I quickly pulled away. I jumped up and ran to closet where my phone was laying on the floor. Four missed calls. I grabbed my coat and skipped towards the door. I looked back at Brenden.

"Thanks for coming to see if I was okay." I said smiling. Then I quickly shuffled down the hallway and into the kitchen. I saw my sister and Derek standing by the counter with sodas in hand. She gave me this weird look and I walked over to her.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. She pointed to my hair, it was crazy. I quickly ran my fingers through it and ran my hands over my face to make sure no tears were clung to my face.

"Nothing…" she said. I looked around to see Nellie walking around looking for Brenden she walked over to me.

"Have you seen Brenden anywhere?" she asked suspiciously. I just looked around.

"No. I haven't. Sorry." I said acting as innocent as possible. She just sighed and kept looking until he met her at the end of the hallway. She grabbed his hand and lead him passed the bar. Our eyes met and he just smiled. His lips were now somewhat tinted red like my lipstick. He just kept smiling and then walked into the living room following Nellie. I blushed and looked away. He was just amazing.

One new text. From Wesley.

Can we please talk? I'm sorry. Love, Wes.

I rolled my eyes and replied:

Sorry Wes. But, we're over. Love, Layla.

I snapped my phone shut and slipped it into my purse. I don't know how I really feel about Wesley because, all I was thinking about was Brenden.


	3. Make Him Mine

I woke up to the sound of my radio blaring a Rihanna song. I stood up and walked over to my radio. I turned it to my newest Phoenix cd. I changed into a white v-neck and jean shorts. I pulled my dark brown hair up into a high ponytail and sprayed on some body mist. I quickly put on some makeup.

I walked downstairs and into the kitchen where my mom was pouring coffee into her 'mom' mug. I smiled and walked over to the fridge.

"Morning.", she said.

"Hello.", I said, grabbing a bottle of water. I shut the fridge door.

"So, I heard someone had a bad night.", she said, giving me an i-know-what-happened look.

I twisted the cap off and took a long drink, "I'm fine."

"Sure, you are.", she said, walking towards me. She gave me a hug.

"Mom. I really am fine. Obviously, Wes and I should've broke up a long time ago. It's over."

"Okay. Well, as long as you're okay."

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking though.", I said, pulling away from the hug. I took another drink and put the lid back on, "I'm going out."

"Where are you going?", my mom asked, taking a drink of her coffee.

"I don't know. Maybe, a bookstore.", I said, "What about you? You going to go out with Ash?"

"Maybe.", she said smiling.

"Okay.", I said laughing, "I'll see you later."

"Bye."

I walked out of the kitchen and grabbed my purse that was by the door. I pulled out my phone and had one new text from an unknown number. It read:

Hey Layla, It's Brenden. I'd like to get to know you better. Let me know when you're free for drinks? -Brenden.

I smiled and replied:

Meet me about twenty minutes at Liza's Literature?

I pressed send and smiled. I was going to make Brenden mine.


End file.
